Valves regulate, direct, and/or control the flow of a fluid (e.g., gases, liquids, fluidized solids, slurries, etc.) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are often categorized based on the mechanism used to control fluid flow (e.g., ball valves, butterfly valves, choke valves, piston valves, plug valves, poppet valves, etc.).
Ball valves are a type of valve that typically include a spherical disc or valve member carried within a valve body. The spherical valve member includes a passage that can be selectively aligned with ports in the valve body by rotating the valve member relative to the valve body. When the passage aligns with one port and any number of the remaining ports, the valve is said to be in the open position. When the passage is out of alignment with the ports, the valve is said to be in the closed position.